11 Plus Exams Forum

We are soon moving to a new area and I have been told by the local authority that all classes in the local schools are full in my son's year (Year 3). They are not able to offer any more help until we have actually moved and have an address in the area - arggghhh!!

I was wondering if anybody knows what the rules are for primary schools going over numbers in KS2 - I know it's a complete no-no in KS1 and it can happen on appeal in high school but I'm not sure about KS2.
I am aware that Ofsted registered childminders are allowed to mind as many 8 year olds and over as they like, there is no set number, so is this the same for schools?

Also if anyone is able to tell me what a LA's reponsibility is for finding my son a place I would be very grateful - can they just say we have no places, so tough!? Or do they have to offer something and does it have to be within so many miles of the home address?

My son loves school and is already upset at the thought of leaving behind his friends, not being able to tell him that he will have a new school to go to is making a stressful situation worse.

Kiwimum - you need to move and apply for a place in specific schools. Once you have been refused then you can appeal. Each school will have a PAN but that does not mean that an appeal panel will not think your reasons for a place outweigh those for refusal that the school puts forward.

They have a duty to find you a place for your child but it does not need to be near you, just the nearest with places.

Thanks Guest55 - so are you saying if we appeal and win it is definitely possible for a year 3 class to go over PAN?

Sorry to double-check, I always thought primary schools had to stick to certain numbers - obviously didn't pay enough attention in my six years as school governor!

Yes!

The infant class size limit does not apply to KS2.

http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... aneous#e31" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yay! Thank you Etienne.

Of course I have no idea yet on what grounds we might appeal but at least I'll have something to think about when I'm lying awake at night stressing about it!!

We showed why our DC's needs matched what the school was offering e.g. from quotes in their prospectus.

Suggest you read up on appeals against oversubscription:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... ed-school/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We set out typical reasons here:
http://www.elevenplusexams.co.uk/appeal ... -school#c2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thank you Etienne and Guest55 - will read advice on appeals against overscription and find out as much about prospective schools as possible while waiting for our house sale to go through - will probably be back in the future for more advice and support!

Hi Kiwimum,

I would do your research then go and visit the schools you are most interested in. When we moved to Kent most of the schools we liked around our chosen area were full but we found a couple of the head teachers very helpful. They were happy to go over PAN – I assume this means extra funds for them – and told us outright that they would support our appeal and that effectively we were guaranteed a place. Like you this was for KS2 and they did say that KS1 is much more rigid. This was also the experience of our relatives who moved to Sussex earlier this year and the school were good to their word, helping them successfully appeal to create a Y6 space in an already full year group (they didn't have to turn up at a hearing, they just submitted the appeal form and when it was put to the school the head simply had to agree that it wouldn't be prejudicial to go over PAN). It wasn't necessary for us as a place became available in the meantime. Do you have any other children? In both of our cases they had space for the younger sibling but not the older DC and I think maybe this lends a lot of weight to an appeal.
HTH. Good luck!

our school takes in as many as they fancy - even, to a degree, in KS1. If you are moving in our direction there is definitely always a place.